Monday, August 20, 2012

across the tracks...

We have some train tracks about a half a mile from our house. With just a simple step over those tracks you leave one world and enter another... from Germantown to Shelby Park... from one economic group to another... from one racial class to another... from one social status to another. It's crazy that in today's day and age we still live by such visual dividers.

Over the past year, God has really been stirring in our hearts... challenging us to truly be here.

To be in Louisville......across the tracks.

For us, this means putting down some roots... committing to a community... buying a house... all across the tracks. We have recently put an offer on a house in Shelby Park... It's barely a half mile from our current house and directly behind the old cathedral that our church has just moved into. This house actually used to be the nunnery and butler's quarters for the cathedral... which is pretty cool if you ask me. The house is well over 100 years old and needs plenty of renovating. It's quite charming and has room to grow. It was well-within our price range, making our mortgage less than what we currently pay in rent.

But we didn't choose this house based on its nunnery history, sheer size, or even affordability. We chose this house because of its location. We feel that God has called us to be a light to the neighborhood of Shelby Park... to be intentional in this community... to initiate change. We're not entirely sure what that will look like, but we're prepared to be a part of it.

Please continue to pray for us as we step out in faith in this decision. We are hoping to close on the house within the next month and start renovations immediately. We are excited to see what God has in store for us... across the tracks.

7 comments:

LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!! Love looks like something. It looks a bit like what you're doing. And then it looks like stopping for the one in that community. It looks like frienship, unconditional friendship. It's a bit messy and it can be painful...but essentially when you put it all together it looks like Jesus. Jesus shining out of you.